Improvement in corn-planters



W.l T. PEPPER.

Seed Planter.

IIINIIIL N. PETERS, PHOTO-MTHOGRAPHER. wASHmGYDN. n C.

' UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

WILLIAM T. PEPPER, OF RISING SUN, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 17,582, dated June 16,1357.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. PEPPER, of Rising Sun, inthe county ofOhio and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improveinents inCorn-Planters; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and exactdeseription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specitication.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine which, with as greatrapidity as a field can be laid off in one direction for planting, willplant in hills at points desired by the operator, with sufficientaccuracy to enable it to be cultivated in both directions, and willcover the seed as well as it can be done by hand.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of the machine.Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofthe seed-box, exhibiting the dropping andcovering mechanism. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a portion of thegroundwheel through the point .fr x, Fig. I.

a is a large ground-wheel, provided Vwith, flanges on its periphery, twolarge ones, B B', on the outside, and a number ot' smaller ones, b,intervening, as shown in Fig. 3. These tlanges, as the wheel rotates,carry up a portion ofthe fresh earth uncovered by the plow c, whichearth, being intercepted by scrapers d, is removed from the wheel,deposited in the trough e, and thereby conveyed into the upperapartment, F, of the seed-box. A plate, h, parallel with the peripheryof the wheel, extending from one to the other ot' the outside tianges, BB', and from near the gronnd to within a short distance of the scrapersd, is kept in contact with the edges of the smaller langes by means of aspring, i', and serves to prevent the earth falling from the wheelbefore reaching the scrapers d.

j is acogged rack, ]'ournaled in the rear beam, k, and confined on theseed-box l by staples, which allow it a sliding play longitudinally ofsaid boX. This rack, by gearing in a cog-wheel, m, imparts at everyvertical motion ofthe seedbox a reciprocating circular motion to themeasuring mechanism, which consists ot' a small wheel, a, with a cavity,o, in its periphery adjustable in depth, so that it may be adapted toreceive any amountof seed required. The seed falling into the conductorp, which passes under the wheel a, is thereby conducted onto the lowerfloor, g g', of the seed-box. A

pair of brushes, q q', one attached to the bottom of the hopper and theother to the measurin g-wheel, prevent a grain of corn from catching andthereby impeding the motion of the wheel. The rack j, gearing also witha pair of cogged segments, 1 1", at every motion of the seed-box, opensthe trap-doors fj, which coinpose the upper floor ofthe seed-box, onwhich earth is deposited, as explained. A precisely similar arrangementon the other side of the box l operates the doors g g', which composethe lower floorof the seed-box, so that the doors ot' both apartmentsare opened simultaneously. A sliding gate, s, attached to the rackjcloses the way against the ingress of earth while the rack is depressedin the act of planting.

t is a lever by which the plow is raised olf the ground, when desired,to enable the machine to pass over obstructions or turn round freely atthe end ot' the row.

The draft-beam u, handles o, attached to the beam 7c, and the plow-beamw, being separately hinged, can each be raised or depressed withoutintlnencing other parts of the machine.

The operation is as follows: A horse being attached at u, and themachine held by the hand of the operator ato, the wheel a., rotating asthe machine advances, carries up between the vflanges B b a portion ot'earth, which, being removed from the wheel by the scraper-s d, passesdown the trough c, and is deposited on the upper lloor, ff', of theseed-box.

When it is desired to plant a hill, the rear part of the machine beingdepressed to bring the seed-box in contact with the ground, while themachine continues to move forward, the lower end of the box remainsstationary, bringing it into the position shown by red lines in Fig. 1.At the saine time thedepression ofthe rackj closes the entrance to theupper apartment, F, ofthe seed-box, and, causing the s egments i* i" andsimilar segments on the other side of the seed-box to rotate slightly,opens the bottom of both apartments simultaneously and allows the seedcontained in the lower one to fall on the ground, while the earthcontained in the upper one falls on and covers theseed. At the same timethe upper teeth of the rack j, rotating the cog-wheel m, bring the cup oin position to receive seed for the next hill.

Fig. 2 exhibits the relative positions ot' the various parts of theseed-box at this moment.

The hill heilig planted, the downward press'- ure of the land isremoved, and a weight,

' depressing the front end of the beam fu, elevates the rear beam, 7c,to which it is attached, and permits the spring y to restore the seedbox'to its former position, simultaneously closing the bottoms of bothapartments, raising the slide s to admit the accumulated earth, andemptying the portion of seed into the conductor p, by which it isdeposited in the lower apartment, Gr, of the seed-box, in readiness forthe next hill.

It is not expected that this machine will operate with equal facility inall descriptions of soil; but it is admirably adapted to the friablealluvial soil of the West.

The following are some of its peculiar advantages:

First, the bottom ofthe seed-box being within a few inches of theground, and being by an instantaneous action brought into contact withthe ground, and held stationary thereby during the act of planting, theoperator is enabled to plant with great accuracy in any desired spot,and the seed is dropped without the slightest scattering orirregularity.

Secondly, a regular quantity ofthe most friable mold is lightlydeposited on the seed, the eect being very similar to that produced bycareful seedplanting by hand.

I claim as new and of my invention hereinl. The arrangement ot' theanges B b on the periphery of the Wheel a, when used in connection withthe plate h, scrapers d, and receiving or conducting spout c, or theirequivalents, the-whole being arranged and operating in the mannersubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The rocking seed-box l, having its lower end held stationary duringthe act of planting by contact with the ground, and operatedautomatically by the power by which the machine is drawn forward, in thedescribed combination with the falling tloorsff, g g and seed measuringand delivering mechanism n o p, operated by means of racksj' bydepressing the box against the ground, as set forth.

In testimony ot' which invention I hereunto set my hand.

W. T. PEPPER. Attest:

IRA JAMES, N. I-I. WILLIAMS.

